New Year...

Gosh! So much has happened I don't even know where to start!

My dear friend, Brandy, and I attended the night tour at Hearst's Castle in mid November. The next day we went to the Dicken's Fair in San Fransisco and OMGOSH that was SO MUCH FUN!! We dressed up and had a blast. Next year I will be attending in a gown I will make!

On the bus to Hearst's Castle.

The Dicken's Fair!

I went to my second Ren fair in early November and I wore my old boots so my feet were a lot better! I borrowed another dress. Bea came to the second day and made it through the entire day! She even helped pack up the Guild stuff.

Ann Boleyn, the Marchioness of Exeter and Mary Boleyn

Look at us in our borrowed gowns!

The girls both celebrated birthdays. I'm sad they are getting older!

They were also in their first paid commercial for a local automotive company.

I've been busy sewing my very own Ren Fair dress!! (In between leading Girl Scouts and all the other things the girls do.)  Here are some pictures:

My pattern inspiration...

The beginnings of my underskirt.

Mock up bodice.

Finished bodice (nearly.)

Reversible foreparts.

 

My FIRST (semi active) Renaissance Faire..

This weekend I participated in a Renaissance Faire! Yeah. You read that I right. I didn't just attend like I always do I participated! (Well sort of.) I basically begged a Guild to let me tag along with them AND I got to borrow a beautifully made dress from the Guild's Co-Costume Mistress and wear it all weekend! I made my own undergarments - which need to be reworked but that's fine! It was a learning experience for sure! I learned how to navigate using the restroom in a hoop skirt! And it wasn't that hard at all! I got to walk around with Lady Lettice and her sisters! I even got to attend Queen Elizabeth as she watched several sword fights. Sure it was a lot of standing around in horrible shoes that haven't been broken in yet. (The tops of my feet hurt so bad!) Sure I was literally sweating the entire day in places I didn't know I could sweat before... BUT.. IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN!!  And I can totally see me having more fun the more involved and active I get - meaning having a tiny part to play would be WONDERFUL!! Having my shoes broken in where I could learn a dance with the other ladies of court... just tot name a few. I'd love to have Bea and Millie join me too! I can't wait for next fair.... maybe I'll be able to finish a gown by then....

I'm Crazy!

So yeah... I know full well I'm crazy...

This summer the girls had swim lessons up in Clovis. Yeah. I drove just about every day to Clovis for swim lessons. But you know what? They're actually swimming now!! They're jumping off the sides of the pool and swimming!

I've been trying to work out their schedules for this new year... you know, Girl Scouts, dance, gymnastics. I finally found the SAME time slot for their TWO different classes at gym! I was so excited! Now for dance... I'm trying to fudge a little and get Camille in the 5 year old Hip Hop class. It's for 5-7 year olds, so I thought that would be perfect for both of them to take together! Done and done!  But lately I've noticed Camille dancing around and I'm thinking she's really good... toes pointed, graceful. I asked the studio about having someone look at her to see if she can go into lyrical. All the teachers are on vacation, but her old teacher from 2 years ago suggested taking ballet this year to help her with the basics. So I checked out their ballet schedule. One class on Tuesday and one class on Wednesday right when gymnastics is going on! UGH!

I decided to focus on the Tuesday class. It occurs a whole two hours before her Hip Hop class... So we'd have an hour to sit around and wait.... Not enough time to run home to eat. And there aren't any places near by to run to, to eat at.... so I started thinking... What if I put Bea and Millie in the same ballet class. Was there another class I could put them in after ballet, to fill up that time slot?? There is!! So Bea will have Kballet (she didn't take it last year), Jazz for 6-8 year olds, and Hip Hop. Millie will have Kballet, KJazz, and Hip Hop! Yay! I get to drop them off for two hours!!


We'll see how the classes go and which ones they like, I might let them drop out of one or two. The good thing is I already have ballet and jazz shoes for Millie! (Bea's old ones.) They only need tennis shoes for Hip Hop... Unfortunately I'll have to buy Bea yet ANOTHER pair of jazz shoes! UGH.

I always have such trouble with their schedules every year....

Too much...

So many things have happened since my last post!

My sister got married!!! (I'll try to post pix later, but let's face it, if you're reading this you were probably there!) :)

Bea has two more weeks of kindergarten and then she'll be a first grader!! :(

I've decided to teach myself how to sew! And instead of doing simple things I've decided to make dresses from the Regency, early Victorian, Tudor and Elizabethan eras... yeah. I'm crazy.

Also decided to try to join a guild - yup, you read that right. I'm a dork. And a fabulous friend and I are going to attend a Regency Ball and a Dickens Fair this year!! Can't wait!

Still going strong with Girl Scouts! Got my troop signed up for next year already! I'll have three Daisy's and three Brownies... got to start planning that as well.

I'm really looking forward to all this fun stuff!!

Wicked

Last night I took the girls to see Wicked and they LOVED it!! Millie liked it so much she wants to see it again! It was so much fun! We had great seats... except we were behind this woman who had huge hair! She ratted it so high and wide it was ridiculous! I wish I had had an electric razor cause I would have shaved her head!!! That is so rude to make your hair all big and ugly! Oh well. We still got to see the show! Beauty and the Beast is coming in December and I HAVE to take the girls to see that! I know they'll LOVE it too!

Dancing Queen

Last night Bea informed me that she wanted to take three dance classes next year (Jazz, Tap, and Hip Hop) and be in ALL three recital dances. She wanted to be in the recital this year but we took a year off. I'm partially grateful for this... mainly because I saw the picture of Camille's costume and it was just a lime green leo with a skirt. BORING!! And did I mention LIME GREEN!? Millie would have REFUSED to wear that!! Bea's costumes for BOTH her classes were SO CUTE!! I wished I had signed her up just for that!

I don't know if I'll be able to afford four dance classes (Millie has one) and two gymnastic classes....I can manage putting money aside for the costumes and the recital fees... And then trying to work out the schedules between dance, gym and Girl Scouts! I've been hating the later classes which equal later nights...

We'll see. I'm thinking I just need to get the schedule and see what works from there...

My Love Bugs!